People pretend dogs they acquired during lockdown are strays, so rescue centers pick them up after they haven’t sold them online, animal rescue organizations and animal shelters have warned.
March figures showed that more than 3.2 million pets were purchased from UK households during the lockdown. Since the Covid restrictions were lifted and back to the office, charities have reported a growing trend of people leaving their pandemic pets because they don’t have as much time to spend with them.
Many of these pets were purchased online and their true origins and medical issues were not disclosed. They often have a higher incidence of behavioral and health problems and are therefore more difficult to convey.
Shelters and charities report that owners who no longer want their pets are trying to sell them online through sites like Gumtree and Pets4Homes to get back what they paid for the dog.
Ira Moss, the founder of the All Dogs Matter charity, told the Independent, “We have seen an increase in the number of dogs entering the country over the past few weeks, and we believe 90% of people have been pressured to sell the dogs.” first instead of taking them to the charities.
“Dog handlers have received calls from veterinarians saying that a member of the public said they found a stray, but often it is people who do not bother waiting for help from rescue organizations or are ashamed of them. give up the dog.
“When a dog handler takes a dog with him, he scans a microchip and the person registered on the chip can reclaim the dog. But sometimes you call them and they say they sold the dog some time ago or the number doesn’t work. “
Moss said many people have neglected to reconsider buying a lockdown puppy and are now struggling to keep up financially or having behavioral issues due to a lack of education and socialization.
And as dogs lose their value as they age, many have been sold online several times before they even get to the charity, creating a number of issues including separation anxiety and confusion, Moss warned.
Hope Rescue, an animal charity based in Rhondda Cynon Taf, told the BBC that the number of dogs dropped at their rescue center in Pontyclun was the highest in its 15-year history.
The charity said it also found that some dog owners called a dog handler and mistook their own pet for a stray or took the dogs straight to a rescue center because they claimed they found them abandoned.
Welfare director Sara Rosser said that in the past week alone, five dogs came to the center that she knew were fake strays, but the number “could be much higher”. This has resulted in “fake” stray dogs jumping the line in front of really abandoned dogs, she added.
Moss urged people to turn to charities for help with housing their unwanted dogs. “You are not just a car that you sell online. Many people think they just go to a kennel, but it is better to go to a kennel for a week with professionals than to be passed around at home. “
